Apprentice

Bernie the Apprentice

Working as an apprentice for Devon County Council is a great opportunity for younger people to gain new skills and qualifications while getting paid. When I left school, I got my first job in a supermarket. However what I really wanted was a job that provided real world experience with career prospects. This apprenticeship seemed perfect, and I felt really proud to find out I was being taken on.

I was assigned to work in Recruitment Services as a clerical assistant. After learning the ropes in the first few months, I completed an introductory level 2 NVQ in Business & Administration. This was helped by frequent training sessions and support from the 10 other apprentices and my assessor. I am currently working on my level 3 NVQ which is proving to be a challenge, but I am confident that the skills I am learning will help me to complete it.

We are encouraged to take part in as many courses as possible, to get maximum experience within the role, and as a result I am learning a lot in a short period of time. I also took part in the apprentice volunteering challenge, where we designed and created a sensory garden for Wynstream Primary School in Exeter.

I would recommend this scheme to anyone who has just left school, and is interested in a career in local government.